2008 Acura TL - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2008 Acura TL has not been rated for overall safety by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, in individual crash tests, the car received high ratings for front crash protection on both the driver and passenger side, as well as a solid rating for the driver's side in side crash tests. The car is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances overall safety by helping the driver maintain control in challenging driving conditions. Unfortunately, the Acura TL does not come with forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the car has received a significant number of complaints, totaling 118, and has been subject to four recalls. It is important for Acura TL owners to stay informed about any recalls and promptly address them to ensure the safety and reliability of their vehicle.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

118

Recall Count

4

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

Not Rated

Search Vehicle Details

Advanced Search

The advanced search lets you search by safety ratings and features. This will return a list of vehicles that match your search criteria.

Safety Features

2008 Acura TL 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2008 Acura TL 4-DR. w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2008 Acura TL 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2008 Acura TL 4-DR. w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2014 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 4
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 3

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2014 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 4 4 3
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 4
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 4
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 4
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2014 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2008 Acura TL

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"i noticed a vertical straight line/crack in the dashboard of my 2008 acura tl located on the passenger side, which is directly in the area of the air bag system. oddly enough it seemed to appear literally overnight. i’ve noticed the crack seems to expand when in cooler temperatures, however the crack appears to fuse back together when the temperature is warmer and/or hot outside, which is concerning in itself. my vehicle has been stored in a garage since it’s purchase and when not in use a sunshade is used to protect the dash when exposed outside. i am very concerned that there may be a bigger problem with the air bag system that may result in the air bags being inadvertently deployed resulting in an accident, injury or even greater death. internet searches reveal this a common problem among individuals similarly situated with the same make and model, and acura is apparently aware. my vehicle is regularly serviced and maintained at the acura dealership in memphis. i have reached out to the dealership regarding this issue, however i have not heard back from them regarding a possible resolution. i believe this issue warrants some type of safety recall before someone or their loved ones become seriously injured."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-07-06
Complaint:
"i am the only owner with 39,000 miles on it. i moved to south florida 5 years ago. the dashboard has major cracks over the passenger airbag. i saw this "letter sent in conjunction with the florida highway safety and motor vehicles department to remind florida owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience." i should be included in the recall. the vehicle was stationary."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2014-01-04
Complaint:
"the area around my passenger side airbag on the dash is completely cracked and damaged. i'm concerned that the airbag is damaged under neath and will not deploy during a accident. these cracks just appeared one day while the vehicle was parked and a few days later more cracks. acura should truly consider recalling these vehicles before someone dies due to there negligence. this is my 2nd request. i am aware of other acura owners with the same issue."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2019-05-08
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2008 acura tl. while the contact's granddaughter was driving, the air bag deployed without warning or an impact. the driver and front and rear passengers had ringing in their ears and saw flashing lights due to the air bag explosion. there were no injuries and medical attention was not received. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the contact called the acura hotline air bag deployment number at 800-382-2238 and was informed that they would call the acura dealer and schedule an appointment to tow the vehicle. the contact was provided case number: 09727380. the approximate failure mileage was 125,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2020-10-07
Complaint:
"the car dashboard is completely cracked right above the airbag, which is allowing heat to seep in."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2019-08-07
Complaint:
"i have already paid acura to replace my dashboard once due to the airbag pushing up on dash and cracking it. i now have the same problem again, the dash has cracked on passenger side in perfect rectangle where airbag is located. i am very concerned that deployment is likley/imminenet and i am urging nhtsa to require acura to replace airbage and dash."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2019-05-07
Complaint:
"i hit a pothole on the front, drivers side tire and the airbags on the side passengers side and seat deployed but did not inflate. i have seen several similar issues reported of the same thing happening. i am concerned that if it would have been an accident, my airbags wouldn't have inflated in that instance either and it wouldn't have helped at all. with them now being deployed and no use if i'm in an accident, i am no longer safe in this vehicle."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-05-03
Complaint:
"in september 2018, seemingly overnight, 2 large cracks developed in my dashboard, on the passenger side, directly over the airbag. i'm concerned that this is a safety issue, because the damage is directly over the airbags."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2018-01-09
Complaint:
"a large crack has appeared on the dash panel covering passenger side airbag. i fear this will get in the way of deploying passenger side airbag in an emergency situation and/or potentially generate dangerous shards. this seems to be a known problem when i visited the acura service department earlier today, but they have so far refused to advise me on a suitable course of action. my car has never been in an accident and has been very well taken care off, with most of the driving being limited to surface streets and always being garaged overnight."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2017-06-08
Complaint:
"cracks are appearing around the passenger side air bag dash covering, i fear this will send dangerous shards everywhere in case of deployment in addition to the ones possibly sent by the airbag itself."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2017-01-08

Recalls for the 2008 Acura TL

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"honda is recalling 273,000 my 2004-2008 acura tl vehicles. prolonged high under-hood temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely causing the hose to crack and leak power steering fluid."
Consequence:
POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKING ONTO A HOT CATALYTIC CONVERTER WILL GENERATE SMOKE AND POSSIBLY LEAD TO AN UNDER-HOOD FIRE.
Remedy:

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW HEAT RESISTANT POWER STEERING HOSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 28, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ACURA AT 800-382-2238. THIS IS AN EXPANSION OF A PREVIOUS RECALL (PLEASE SEE 07V551).

Component(s) Involved: STEERING > HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST > HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
Date of incident: 2008-02-27
Recall:
"honda is recalling certain model year 2007 and 2008 acura tl and model year 2003-2007 accord v6 vehicles. in may 2012, honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2007 and 2008 acura tl vehicles. in september 2012, honda informed the agency that it was including an additional 573,147 vehicles including certain model year 2003 through 2007 accord v6 vehicles. the total number of vehicles being recalled is now 625,762. prolonged under-hood and power steering fluid temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely, resulting in cracks and power steering fluid leakage."
Consequence:
If this occurs, power steering fluid can leak onto a hot catalytic converter, leading to smoke and possibly an under-hood fire.
Remedy:

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a new heat resistant power steering hose, free of charge. The original recall began in June 2012, and owners of those vehicles may obtain the free remedy. Sufficient parts are not yet available for owners of the vehicles covered by the September 2012 expansion, but are expected to be available in early 2013. Honda will notify owners of these vehicles beginning on October 26, 2012, and will notify these owners again when parts are available so those vehicles can be brought to dealers for applications of the free remedy. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.

Component(s) Involved: STEERING > HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST > HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
Date of incident: 2012-05-17

ACURA Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

ACURA ranks 25 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

Related Vehicles

Why not check out other ACURA vehicles?

2019 RDX
ACURA
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 217
  • Recall Count: 4
View Car
2012 RDX
ACURA
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 14
  • Recall Count: 2
View Car
2005 TSX
ACURA
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 48
  • Recall Count: 4
View Car
2022 TLX
ACURA
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 6
  • Recall Count: 1
View Car